policy & reform
organisational cultures within universities to more contemporary standards should also facilitate improved relationships between universities and other parties.”
The role of industry The good news for Australian universities is that the partnerships with industry are growing and philanthropy is becoming more evident across the country.
“ It is important that we have continual exchanges between the professional world and academia,” Capling says.“ If you go back to the 1960s, you will find in the area of engineering that most lecturers were those currently working in the field.
“ All universities strive to maintain good and fruitful relations with industry in terms of working together in areas of research and having professionals sitting on academic boards to review course materials.”
Murdoch University has worked closely with industry in areas such as partnerships, graduate recruitment and internships since its inception.
But there have been grumblings from the private sector that graduates are lacking in some key skills and this could lead to professional associations starting their own qualifications in order to ensure that they receive the right graduates.
“ Private enterprise and indeed more and more employers will become, and should become, more closely and actively engaged in the design of learning programs,” Fahey says.“ If universities do not adapt sufficiently, then private enterprise may establish competing learning paradigms, using existing industry institutes and forums as vehicles to provide core undergraduate training in selected professions.”
Science Australian school students are avoiding science like the plague. Back in 1991, an astounding 94 per cent of year 11 and 12 students were enrolled in science subjects.
Last year the figure dropped to 51 per cent the federal Education Department states.
“ We need to teach science in such a compelling way that more students want to keep studying it – at school and at university,” chief scientist Chubb, says.“ We have not done that comprehensively for a long time.”
Chubb believes that it has a lot to do with pre-service preparation of teachers. He thinks the priority should be scientists teaching content to those aiming to be teachers. And that includes in-service support for teachers in schools and universities.
“ We need also to think about the career options for those who study science at university,” he says.“ The story goes that much of the teaching at university is designed for those most interested in a research career; it may be a myth but if it is, it is one with legs. And it is a pity because relatively few will be undertaking a research career. That may well mean a different focus in the courses and an overt development of all the other skills that come from learning a discipline so dependent on a changing evidence base.
“ That also means we need to work with employers to persuade them that we are developing skills in science, technology, engineering or mathematics that go beyond deep knowledge of a discipline. We need to make the effort to point out the advantages to employers in all sectors of the economy of the intellectual rigour that comes from the study of a scientific discipline taught well.” n
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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong. It offers programmes at various levels including Doctorate, Master’ s, and Bachelor’ s degrees. It has a full-time academic staff strength of around 1,200. The total consolidated expenditure budget of the University is close to HK $ 5 billion per year.
DEPARTMENT OF CHINESE AND BILINGUAL STUDIES
One of the missions of the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies is to promote and develop studies of Chinese in multilingual contexts and studies of multilingualism in Chinese contexts. It has established a relatively strong reputation in Applied Chinese Language Studies, and seeks to extend its strength in areas like Bilingualism( including Translation & Interpreting), Cross-Cultural Communication and East Asian Studies. Another mission of the Department is to offer profession-based programmes that meet the career aspirations of the young adults of Hong Kong and Greater China. It offers bachelor, master, and doctoral programmes in Bilingual Corporate Communication, Chinese Linguistics, Chinese Language Teaching, Speech Therapy, Teaching Chinese as a Foreign / Second Language, Translating & Interpreting. It also offers programmes in Korean / Japanese Business Communication at bachelor and master levels. Within the Department, there is a Centre for Translation Studies, a Language Testing Unit, and a Chinese Language Centre which provides training in Chinese language and Putonghua for the whole university. The Department has over 75 full-time academic staff members. Please visit the website at http:// www. cbs. polyu. edu. hk for more information about the Department.
Professor / Associate Professor in Applied Chinese Linguistics / Chinese Literature / Bilingualism and Communication / Chinese Linguistics / Foreign or Second Language Education / Translation and Interpreting( four posts)
The appointees will be required to( a) engage in teaching and related learning activities at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels;( b) take an important role in curriculum design and development;( c) undertake scholarly research in his / her area of expertise; and( d) provide administrative support for academic and departmental affairs, and play an active role in programme management. Successful candidates are expected to undertake academic research in his / her area of expertise. Applicants at Professor level will be expected to provide academic leadership in his / her area of expertise.
Applicants should have( a) a PhD degree in a relevant discipline, preferably with the specialism in Cantonese Linguistics, Chinese Syntax, Applied Psycholingusitics, Applied Sociolinguistics, Bilingual Corporate Communication, Cross-cultural Communication, First / Second Language Acquisition, First / Second Language Education Pedagogy, Legal Translation, Media Translation, or Interpreting;( b) at least ten years’ relevant post-qualification experience and an excellent record of relevant academic and / or professional achievements;( c) fluency in English; and( d) a strong commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarly activities and professional service. Preference will be given to those who have fluency in Chinese( both written and spoken).
Remuneration and Conditions of Service A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered. An appropriate term will be provided for appointments at Associate Professor and Professor levels. Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application.
Application Please submit application form via email to hrstaff @ polyu. edu. hk; by fax at( 852) 2364 2166; or by mail to Human Resources Office, 13 / F, Li Ka Shing Tower, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae, please still complete the application form which will help speed up the recruitment process. Application forms can be obtained via the above channels or downloaded from http:// www. polyu. edu. hk / hro / job. htm. Recruitment will continue until the positions are filled. Details of the University’ s Personal Information Collection Statement for recruitment can be found at http:// www. polyu. edu. hk / hro / jobpics. htm.
10 | campusreview. com. au